Alleged self-immolation of investor sparks political controversy in Kozhikode

The alleged self-immolation of a 71-year-old investor outside the house of a former cooperative society functionary in Vadakara, who is also a local Congress leader, allegedly over unreturned deposits from an organization controlled by United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders, has sparked a war of words between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI).

While CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan on Saturday (May 30) termed the incident as a “murder” that was a manifestation of an institutional fraud run with the support of the Congress, Kozhikode District Congress Committee President K. Praveenkumar maintained that the society had nothing to do with the party. Sources at the Vadakara police station said a case has been registered under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita related to the unnatural death. Further action will be based on the ongoing investigation of the case, they added.

Ibrahim Haji, a resident of Thiruvallur, allegedly set himself on fire on Friday morning (May 29) after dousing his body with petrol outside the house of TV Sudheer Kumar, former Congress district general secretary and former president of the society. Although Haji was taken first to the Government District Hospital and later to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, he succumbed to burns in the night.

It was reported that although Haji invested 22 lakhs in the Kadatanad Labor Contractual Cooperative between July 2021 and June 2023, his request to withdraw the money was not accepted.

A police case was registered on his complaint against Mr. Kumar, Basheer Ahammed, the acting president, and his other functionaries earlier this year. Haji is said to have visited the office of the company and the houses of Mr. Sudheer Kumar and others and demanded repayment of the amount. He reached the house of Mr. Sudheer Kumar on Friday with the same demand.

However, company officials told the media that Ibrahim Haji had deposited only ₹600,000 with the company and that he had already received a check for that amount. When Haji presented the check at the bank, it bounced, allegedly due to lack of funds in the company’s bank account. In this context, a criminal complaint was filed against the company. Officials of the company claimed that they had promised to refund him the amount once outstanding payments from the government for some of the works done by the company were cleared.

It was also reported that although Haji had requested the return of the amounts deposited in the name of some of his relatives, the request was rejected.

Meanwhile, Mr. Praveenkumar said that Mr. Sudheer Kumar has been suspended from the Congress for bringing the good name of the organization into disrepute. He said that the Congress had no control over the society, though some of its leaders were part of it. Mr. Govindan visited Haji’s house, spoke to his family members and tried to crack down on the UDF leaders who are part of the society. Praful Krishnan, BJP North district president, said Ibrahim Haji had sent him a voice recording implicating company functionaries.

Published – 30 May 2026 21:22 IST